Young people (15–24)
4.0 Introduction
During adolescence and early adulthood, young people experience rapid physical, social, and
emotional changes. For most young Australians, these changes occur while they are also making
the transition from dependence to independence.
This transition is affected by social, economic, environmental and, particularly in recent years,
technological changes. The pathways from education to work, and from the parental home to
independent living, have become more varied and complex for young people, and often extend
over longer periods.
This chapter examines the lives of Australia’s young people, with a particular focus on education,
training and employment. It looks at both young Australians who are doing well, and those who are
vulnerable. It also looks at how young Australians generally are coping with their lives.
Today, participation in secondary school and post-school education is increasingly common for
young Australians. The Year 12 apparent retention rate has increased over the past 2 decades, and
in 2014 the vast majority (82%) of 15–19 year olds were participating in education or training. In
addition, 42% of young people aged 20–24 were participating in education and training towards a
recognised qualification in 2014.
While today’s young people may be increasingly staying at school and completing further
education, they are delaying leaving the parental home, getting married and having children, and
are more likely than the overall working population to be unemployed and underemployed.
The majority of Australia’s 3.1 million young people cope well with the transitions from adolescence
to young adulthood; however, there are some who are vulnerable to harm, and who face limited
social, educational or economic opportunities. While there are many factors associated with
vulnerability, Indigenous youths, for example, are at increased risk, as are young people with low
socioeconomic status backgrounds and/or poor academic performance. Other vulnerable groups
include youths with disability or other long-term physical or mental health conditions, youths in the
child protection and youth justice systems, and those experiencing homelessness.
Young people may display an increased level of risk-taking behaviour at this stage of their lives, but
there is some good news on this front. Rates for illicit drug use fell for 18–24 year olds between 2001
and 2013. There have also been declines in alcohol consumption and tobacco smoking by Australia’s
young people.